Two days after learning they will participate in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s national tournament in March, the No. 11 Cyclones head to Kent State to try to win their league’s tournament.

The top eight Central States Collegiate Hockey League teams qualified for the tournament, and the Cyclones are the tournament’s No. 7 seed. They will face the second-seeded and fourth-ranked Illinois in the first round at 2 p.m. Friday in Kent, Ohio.

The two teams have met four times this season, with the Illini winning all four contests. In three of those games, however, Iowa State had a lead going into the third period.

“We have played them tough in all four games this season; we just need to put together a full game,” said head coach Alan Murdoch. “I think we can beat them.”

Senior David Moline said he is confident about the team’s chances.

“We kind of owe them one; we have had them a couple times and let it slip away, so we know we can play with them,” he said. “They are a very good team, but if we play a complete game, I feel pretty confident with this team.”

If the Cyclones beat Illinois on Friday, they will play the winner of the matchup between Michigan-Dearborn and Robert Morris, both of which are also ranked in the top 10 nationally.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for us, but having such good competition should be good for us when we play in the ACHA tournament,” said ISU senior Mike Moren.

The Cyclones are one of six Central States Collegiate Hockey League teams that have qualified for the national tournament. Murdoch said the league is by far the best within the American Collegiate Hockey Association and is glad his team is one of the six that will compete in the national tournament.

Iowa State is one of three schools, including Penn State and Michigan-Dearborn, that have been in the tournament all 15 years it has been played. Murdoch and his team said they hope to represent ISU well again this year.

After the Central States Collegiate Hockey League tournament, the Cyclones will return home to take on Davenport University in Des Moines before heading to Robert Morris College for the national tournament.